It all comes out in the end
by BEM96
Summary: A little left over business from the book Imzadi. When some things come out, it doesn't go over too well. Set in season 5 or 6. Please review. i love the input.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek TNG, the series or books, or anything else for that matter.

_I read the book IMZADI a long time ago, and I thought it left some pretty big wholes in the story, but whatever. But there was one thing that caught my imagination. One scene, or aspect that I thought I could have a little fun with. If you've never read it, you'll still get it, but if you have, I bet you thought the same thing. As always, read and review. I love reviews :)_

Jean Luc Picard stood with his first officer by his side as they awaited their guests in transporter room 2. "So tell me again, Number One. You met the ambassador when you were serving on Betazed?"

Will nodded at the captain. "He was the head of the Federation embassy."

"And you were the Star Fleet liaison?"

"Ah," Will hesitated. "I was the ranking Star Fleet officer, Sir. I'm fairly certain that any additional titles were only to puff me up to make me tolerable to Betazoid society."

The captain turned his head to look at his first officer, his one eyebrow raised with a skeptical look.

"Don't tell Deanna I said that," Will replied to the captain's look.

"Indeed," the captain added turning back to the transporter pad. "Speaking of my ship's counselor, about the time you met Ambassador Roper…that would be about the same time that you met Counselor Troi, yes?"

Will shifted slightly from foot to foot, his hands held behind his back. "That would be accurate, yes."

"Ah, ha," the captain said with a nod.

Will responded with the same, or at least a similar skeptical look as he had received from his commanding officer.

"So Deanna knows the ambassador as well?"

Will thought back to the conversations that Will had all those years ago with Mark Roper about Deanna and sighed. "They know one another, yes. He has a daughter about her same age," Will offered and then wondered why he had added that last part.

"Captain," Chief O'Brian interrupted the two of them. "The ambassador is ready to beam aboard. "

"Very well," the captain responded, turning back to the pad with a nod. The transporter beam filled the space and then dissipated revealing a heavyset man with gray, almost white hair.

"Ambassador," the captain said extending his hand. "I am Jean Luc Picard, captain of the Enterprise. Welcome aboard."

"Thank you Captain," Mark Roper said shaking the captain's hand. He then shifted his gaze to the Enterprise's first officer. "Will, my boy! Look at you!" Mark stepped forward and shook Will's hand slapping him on the shoulder. "Well, aren't you doing well. The first officer of the flagship of the federation. I'm impressed Captain."

"Thank you," both Will and the captain said together. Jean Luc again gave a puzzled look to his first officer.

"Oh, I'm sorry. It's just an old joke with Commander Riker and me, Captain. I assure you I know who is in command."

The captain nodded with a smile. "Of course, Ambassador."

"How are you Mark?" Will asked casually.

Mark inhaled deeply. "Good, fine. I have been shuffling around for the past few years, but this issue in the Pamora sector; it's grabbed me and pulled me in. It shouldn't be happening."

"Ambassador, we have a meeting with my senior staff scheduled in two hours. I look forward to hearing your perspective on the situation," the captain told him.

"And I yours, Captain. I have read a lot about your crew. Nothing but the best. I couldn't be please more to have all of your help and input on this. Of course my staff will be joining me, but I think the more points of view represented the better."

The captain looked back at the transporter pad. "Speaking of your staff, Ambassador…"

"Oh, yes. I left them behind. My apologies Captain, but my staff is made up of three women and occasionally the best way to make them get a move on is to leave them behind."

Just as Mark Roper finished speaking there was a beep on the transporter room control panel.

"I believe that is them now," Mark added with a chuckle.

The captain gave a single nod to the transporter chief and the light of the transporter beam again filled the room and as it faded, the captain saw three women standing on the pad, two middle aged, medium height women and one younger dark haired woman who as soon as the beam had completely vanished, was streaking across the room and with a small squeal, threw her arms around his first officer.

Will's face showed complete confusion and then as he returned her hug with a light pat on her back, his face changed to one of mild dread. "Wendy," he finally spoke. "What are you doing here?"

Wendy pulled away from him enough to be able to see his face, but kept her fingers tightly laced behind Will's neck. "What do you mean, what am I doing here? Didn't Daddy tell you?"

"Captain," Mark Roper began the introductions. "This is my daughter Wendy Roper. She is one of my aids. She will be joining me on this little adventure."

The captain stepped forward and began to extend his hand, but the young woman didn't even acknowledge him. She simply threw her arms back around the neck of his stunned faced first officer.

"Isn't it great? It's gonna be just like old times!" Wendy told Will.

Will looked around the woman latched to him, to her father and shot him a glare that screamed something along the lines of _you could have warned me,_ but after an uncomfortable pause, he managed to squeak out a under enthusiastic, "Great."

Mark only shrugged slightly in response to Will's scathing look and turned his attention back to the captain. "These are my other aids, Beatrix Loume, and Rose Montgomery," he introduced them each in turn and the captain shook their hands and welcomed them aboard. When he glanced back to his first officer, he saw that the ambassador's daughter had let go of Will's neck and instead tangled herself around his arm, not showing any signs of letting go in the near future.

For the second time in only a few minutes, Will found himself on the receiving end of one of his commanding officer's one eyebrow raised, skeptical looks. Will sighed inwardly and closed his eyes for a moment, feeling his day going downhill quickly. He hoped that the captain would allow him to explain, in private. But as he was beginning to feel that the situation was at a low point, he heard the doors to the transporter room behind him swish open. He didn't have to turn around; he didn't have to hear her voice. He could feel her, smell her and his stomach sank to his toes.

"Ambassador," Deanna Troi called walking towards Mark Roper. "I was just on my way to an appointment, but I wanted to pop in and say hello."

Mark met her half way and gave her a hug and kissed her cheek. "Deanna, my dear, you look lovely."

Will could tell by Deanna's body language that he was blocking her view of Wendy still tangled around his arm. He tried momentarily to pull himself free of her, but she only smiled up at him and adjusted her grip. It was hopeless and this was going to be a catastrophe.

"I can't tell you how good it is to see the two of you," Mark said patting Deanna's hand and turning slightly to pat Will on the shoulder as well.

Slowly Will turned enough to get a good look at Deanna and with him Wendy came into view.

Deanna opened her mouth to greet Will. "Hell…oh," she paused awkwardly. And there it was. Will watched as Deanna's shoulders became ridged and her jaw set. The room went momentarily silent. "Wendy," she concluded.

Wendy seemed to either not notice or care that Deanna's posture had gone so ridged. "Deanna," she responded casually. "Wow, I guess I had heard you were here. I can't even remember the last time I saw you," Wendy smiled overly sweetly at her.

Deanna tilted her head unnaturally to one side. "I can," she said flatly, glancing from Wendy to Will and back again. There was a smile plastered to her face, but her eyes were finishing her thought for her and it went something like _I believe you were naked after having had sex with the man I was dating._

Will didn't miss the look, or its meaning. He felt cornered and he could feel the adrenaline start to shoot through his body.

"Look at you in…uniform" Wendy gestured towards her. "I guess I heard you ran off to Star Fleet academy after you graduated," Wendy continued her forced conversation with Deanna. "I just never thought you would, you know…see it through. It just really didn't seem like your style." Wendy chuckled slightly at her own comment.

"Clearly, you were wrong," Deanna responded in her own equally overly generous voice. "And I wouldn't think you would begin to know my style." The words were cutting, but the tone was almost sappy sweet.

"No. I have never been able to figure out your taste." Wendy's voice was loosing some of its false benevolence.

With one quick glare at Will, Deanna turned her attention back to the federation ambassador. "I really do have to run," she told Mark Roper. "It was lovely to see you Ambassador."

"Deanna, dear. I have known you since you were what, fourteen years old? Please, call me Mark. Ambassador makes me feel older and fatter than I am."

Deanna returned his smile with one of her own, a genuine one this time.

"I will see you in the meeting in a while, yes?" Deanna nodded.

"You are a member of the senior staff?" Wendy blurt out, without a hint of the false kindness that existed a few moment's before.

Captain Picard, while he did not know the context of the scene playing out in front of him, had enough of a feel to decide that was the moment to step in. "Counselor Troi is my ship's counselor, and a very highly respected member of my senior staff. I would think that both her empathic abilities as well as her years of diplomatic experience would make her a valued asset to this mission."

"I couldn't agree with you more, Captain," Mark Roper replied.

Deanna shot another glare in Will's direction, where he stood with Wendy on his arm, frozen silent, before turning back to Mark. "I look forward to working with you as well. Good bye, Mark." She said and turned on her heals and headed back out the door.

The room seemed to sigh as the doors hissed shut.

"Well," began the captain. "Let Commander Riker and I show you to your quarters so you can get settled before the meeting." He looked around at their four guests for some sign of agreement. "Right this way," he began, gesturing towards the door.

Wendy Roper finally let go of Will's arm and headed towards the door. "Good Lord, Will. She hasn't changed at all," she said as she headed past him. "I don't know how you two stand to work together," she said as she stepped out the door followed by the other aids and the ambassador.

"I have a feeling it just got a lot more complicated," Will sighed under his breath.

Jean Luc Picard was almost out the door as well, and didn't think he was intended to hear his first officer's comment. He stifled the chuckle that almost came out of him and then dismissed it as well as the worry of how his two officers would work out what was clearly an uncomfortable situation for the both of them. They had done it before and they would again, he thought to himself with the utmost confidence. His first officer and ship's counselor had had their share of disagreements over the years, but they had never let it affect their work, and had always worked it out in the end. He had no reason to believe that this would be any different.

Deanna was on the bridge when the captain and first officer stepped off the turbo lift. The captain got a bridge report from Data before nodding and heading into his ready room.

Will took his seat in the captain's chair and glanced over at Deanna. She sat pouring over information at her terminal, seeming to ignore him. He glanced around at the rest of the bridge crew. "Counselor," he began, but Deanna only shot him another glare before returning to her reading. He sighed, but didn't try again. He would catch her in a more private moment.

It wasn't long before Beverly and Geordi joined the others on the bridge in preparation for their meeting with the federation ambassador. Then the captain stepped back onto the bridge and looked around at his crew.

"Shall we?" he indicated the observation lounge and strode off towards the door. Will purposefully hung back. Deanna was walking with Beverly, but Will caught her as she reached the security panels.

"In my defense," he tried to begin again.

"He speaks!" Deanna answered sharply, before offering him a sarcastic smile and walking past him.

"What's going on?" Beverly asked as the two women walked into the observation lounge.

"Will's old girlfriend's on board," Deanna said taking her seat.

"She is not an old girlfriend!" Will said defensively walking over the threshold himself.

"Would you please not call her that?"

"I'm sorry," Deanna said with that irritating little tilt to her head. "I thought that was a more generous title compared to some others I thought of. What would you like me to call her?"

Will glanced around the room at his colleagues.

"What's going on?" Geordi asked.

"Some old girlfriend of the commander's is on board," Beverly repeated as they each took their usual seats.

"She is not my girlfriend, never was," Will said to the group glaring at Deanna from across the table.

"My mistake," Deanna told him.

"Right," he replied.

"Well it _was_ a little hard to tell earlier in the transporter room," Deanna told him just as the doors opened and Mark Roper and his aids, including his daughter entered the room, and the previous conversation ceased.

"Ambassador, allow me to introduce you to my crew. This is Lt. Commander Data, Lt. Worf, Doctor Beverly Crusher, our chief medical officer, and Lt. Commander Geordi Laforge, our chief engineer. Of course, you already know Commander Riker and Counselor Troi."

"Yes, Captain. Thank you. The ship is like a work of art. I am highly impressed."

"Thank you Ambassador. I hope you are all comfortable."

"Yes, thank you." Each aid agreed with a nod. "So does that bring us to our reason for joining your fine vessel?"

Jean Luc nodded. "Please."

"I have been asked by the leaders of Torrana and Celica, the two inhabited planets of the Pamora system, to mediate a trade agreement between the two. It sounds simple enough, but things have taken an ugly turn lately between the two worlds. I worked closely with Tarmen Dain, the former president of Torrana when I was working with the Federation's delegation to the Pamora system several years ago. Neither planet is a federation member, but each have been strong allies for over 50 years. I worked at each embassy during that time. Apparently they agree that I know of their cultures enough and am neutral enough to serve as mediator. Tarmen specifically is concerned that without a large step forward, they could quickly find themselves in a battle of technology and power. A cold war of sorts. Though I suppose that is still preferable to an all out war," Mark concluded with a shrug. "My goal is to work out an agreement that would allow them to not only trade, but co exist in peace."

"I have been given orders in no uncertain terms that the Federation and Star Fleet have no side to take in this," the captain interjected. "Other than this. We have trade agreements with both worlds, and they are strategically placed in the sector to be alarming to Star Fleet. If they were to go to war with one another, cold or any other sort, and the Cardassians, or Romulons were to intervene, providing military support to one party or the other, the balance of power in the sector would be tilted and not in our favor."

"Deanna dear, I understand that you are capable of reading the emotions of others, that you will be able to assist me with determining who's intentions are sincere in wanting peace and who may be seeking for more power," Mark Roper continued.

"I am at your disposal, Ambass…" she stopped when he furrowed his eyebrows at her. "Mark."

"Ambassador," Data began. "I have been doing a great deal of research about the history of the planets and their expanding interests to the uninhabited planets in the system. I have found some interesting details that may assist you in your negotiations."

"I also believe that you must understand the past before you can hope to influence the future," Wendy Roper began from her seat at the far end of the table. "And, contrary to what apparently is your expertise, Counselor," she said with a not so well hidden nasty undertone to her voice, "I believe that it is imperative that we study who each of these members of the delegations are, what their positions have been on the issues. What they are feeling in the moment only gets us so far. Don't you agree Commander?" Wendy said turning her attention to Will. "That's what I'm focusing on."

Will's eyes bounced back and forth between Wendy at one end of the table and Deanna across from him. Each had their eyebrows raised, waiting for his answer expectantly. "I think both are important," he tried to answer diplomatically. "I am sure that Counselor Troi would be the first to tell you that if you want to understand why someone is the way they are, that you have to understand who they have been and what they have been through," he offered.

"Oh, my mistake. I thought she just wandered around until someone made her feel all warm and fuzzy inside."

The enterprise staff, including her captain, stared back at this woman, eyes wide with surprise at the attack on their colleague. But Deanna sat calmly in her seat, looking back at her only with mild interest. "I am actually far more interested in why people feel certain emotions, aggression for instance, and what led them to feel that way. The emotions themselves can be just a mask for the much bigger psychological problems." Deanna ended with another overly sweet smile, as she had in the transporter room earlier.

"Mr. Data," Mark Roper interjected hoping to end the cutting banter between the women.

"I would be very interested in seeing your research."

"Of course, Ambassador. Commander Laforge and I have also been mapping out what may be appropriate trade routes through the system for both parties," Data told him.

"Excellent work," Mark complimented them both.

"It may not be the final draft," Geordi interjected. "But it should give you a place to start."

"And Lt. Worf will be handling all the security arrangements, both aboard the ship as well as the security for you and your staff while you are on the planets."

Mark Roper spoke to the group. "I want you all to know that I am immensely grateful to be aboard the Enterprise and to have such a wonderful staff here to work with. I hope to utilize each of you for what you are best suited for."

"We will arrive in the Pamora system in four days, Ambassador."

"Then let us all get to work," Mark replied rising from his seat.

"I would like to look at your information as soon as possible," Wendy said to Data as she stood to join her father.

"I will have it to you this evening," Data responded. "Would you like me to bring it by your quarters?"

Wendy looked from Data to Will and back again. "Why don't you give it to Commander Riker and he can give it to me when he takes me to dinner tonight," Wendy told him with a smile.

"Of course," Data replied without noticing the glances between his fellow officers.

"Dismissed," Captain Picard told his crew with a nod.

Mark Roper and his three aids were the first to leave the room, and while the captain, Worf and Data had all stood, no one had yet left the table.

"So was that the old girlfriend?" Beverly asked Deanna.

"No," Will replied looking down the table at Beverly. "She is NOT an old girlfriend." He looked back at Deanna. "Why did you tell them that?" he asked her.

Deanna was biting both of her lips, sucking them in until they were a thin line, to avoid showing her smile at watching Will squirm. She only shrugged innocently.

"So you're taking the old girlfriend on a date?" Beverly asked again ignoring his previous statement.

Will groaned. "This is not a date," he began again. "Not a date! She wanted to catch up, so we are catching up…and she is not an old girlfriend, she's barely a friend at all. An acquaintance really."

"Hah!" the sound escaped Deanna's lips before she could control it, but she quickly tired to cover and turn her uncontrolled emotional noise to a cough and continued her fake coughing spell until Will was glaring at her.

"Did you have something to say, Counselor?" Will asked.

Deanna struggled to speak. "Just a ah…" Deanna gestured to her own throat. "A little tickle in my throat," Deanna spoke quietly.

Will only shook his head. "Sure, now you stop talking."

Deanna stood up from her chair. "Well, it didn't seem like _you_ had too much to say this morning in the transporter room when she told me that she didn't think I could stick it out through officer training, or when she seemed shocked that I was a member of the senior staff and not just some under link."

"I'm sorry. It looked to me like you had it pretty well under control when you called her psychotic."

"I did not!"

"Well, it kind of sounded like you did."

"Oh, " Deanna turned away and walked towards the door. "Go enjoy your dinner," and she left the rest of them staring at the back of the door as she walked out.

Deanna sat on her couch with a mug of hot chocolate. There was a PADD on the coffee table in front of her, but she wasn't really looking at it. She was just staring off into space, trying to figure out why she let Wendy Roper get under her skin. It wasn't really about Will, though he certainly was a sore spot. They had rubbed each other the wrong way long before Will Riker ever set foot on Betazed. She sighed as the chime on her door rang.

"Come in," she called.

The doors opened to reveal Beverly Crusher, Geordi Laforge and Data standing in her doorway. "You stood us up," Beverly told Deanna. "I thought we were having dinner tonight."

Deanna sighed deeply.

"Don't worry Counselor," Geordi told her. "We get it. She just wants the gossip."

Beverly opened her mouth to protest, but then shrugged and nodded walking over and plopping down on the couch next to Deanna.

"What gossip?" Deanna asked.

"I believe the doctor is inquiring about the ambassador's daughter," Data informed her.

"Yeah, Counselor. Whoever she is, she sure seemed to light a fire under both you and the commander."

"There isn't any gossip," Danna corrected. "Mark Roper was the Federation Ambassador to Betazed. He was assigned there when I was about fourteen, and when he arrived he brought his lovely daughter with him," she told them with a raise of her eyebrow.

"Wendy became a fixture in the social circles my family traveled in. I think there was this impression that because I was half human that Wendy and I ought to have some sort of a special bond. I don't know. But it wasn't that way. We just never seemed to get along. We tolerated each other, mostly." Deanna sighed and took another deep breath. "And then there was Will Riker."

"She dated Will?" Beverly asked.

"Not really," Deanna admitted. "The first time I saw Will, she was dangling from his arm a lot like she was this morning in the transporter room." Deanna looked around at each of her friends. "Will and I dated and I don't think Wendy cared for it too much. And then we weren't dating and I think it's fair to say that she liked that… much better." Deanna put down her mug of hot chocolate. "That's it, the whole story."

"Right," Beverly told her.

"Well, the general jist at least," Deanna admitted with a shrug.

"If it makes you feel any better, I would say Commander Riker looked a little uncomfortable while they were having dinner," Geordi told her.

"Were you three spying on him?" Deanna asked.

"What are friends for?" Beverly replied patting her on the knee.

Deanna chuckled slightly. "Well, thank you. Really. And as much as I thoroughly enjoyed teasing Will this morning, he can have dinner with whomever he chooses. It doesn't matter to me. I shouldn't have gone after him like that in front of you all. I don't know what got into me. I should apologize to him."

"It is likely that he is still in ten forward," Data offered.

"Ah, well…Maybe it can wait until tomorrow then," Deanna told them.

"Good night, Counselor," Geordi told her heading towards the door, motioning for Data to join him.

"Good night, " Deanna replied before turning back to Beverly on the couch.

"It really doesn't bother you?" Beverly asked. "Not even a little bit?"

"She bothers me," Deanna told her making a small space between her thumb and forefinger. "A little bit. But who Will chooses to spend time with is none of my business. It's not like he's never had dinner with a woman before."

"No, but not usually one who treats you like garbage," Beverly responded.

"He was right. I can take care of myself."

Beverly looked at Deanna skeptically.

"Honestly, Beverly!"

Beverly shrugged and stood up from the couch. "Alright, I'll let it go. Good night Counselor," she called as she walked out and Deanna sank back into her spot on the couch.

It shouldn't bother her that Will was having dinner with Wendy Roper. It didn't bother her, she thought with a deep sigh. She would find Will in the morning and apologize and then she would have to find Wendy and make some sort of peace, at least enough to do her job.

Deanna strode through the corridor purposefully as she headed for Will's quarters to apologize. It wasn't her favorite thing to have to do, but she really had behaved poorly. She smiled and greeted people casually as she went and just as she rounded the bend she heard the doors to his quarters hiss open. She opened her mouth to call out to him, but then someone stepped out, a slender dark haired someone. Wendy Roper to be more specific. Deanna stopped dead in her tracks for only a moment. Her mind was spinning rapidly and her stomach was sinking, for some reason that she hated to admit, even to herself.

She saw Wendy begin to turn in her direction. She was talking to someone, Will. She could hear him laugh in his quarters. He was right behind her. _Oh my god, _Deanna thought and spun around on her heals and began going back the way she had come as fast as she could go and still look natural.

"Hey Counselor," Geordi Laforge said casually attempting to walk past her on his way somewhere else.

"Geordi!" Deanna said grabbing his elbow.

He turned to look at her. "How did the apology go?" he asked.

Deanna began dragging him with her down the corridor in the opposite direction that he had been going. "Talk to me," she begged.

"About what?"

"Anything, just please! Be engrossed in conversation with me."

"Okay…" Geordi was looking at her extremely puzzled, but as he continued to stare he recognized the voice in the corridor. Commander Riker was talking to someone, and he saw the pleading look on Deanna's face. "Well I did have a question about Lt. Summers. He seems to be really struggling being away from his family, is there anything I could be doing to help?"

Deanna plowed in with a response as she felt Will round the bend, more than saw him. "He is desperately seeking for a family connection. What would be best for him is to have him bond with his colleagues. Does he have anyone he is close to?"

Deanna paused as Will and Wendy slowed their pace.

"Good morning, Commander," Geordi offered.

"Geordi, Deanna," Will seemed to almost choke on his greeting.

"Good morning," Deanna replied. "Wendy, good to see you again. I hope you received Commander Data's information last night."

"Yes, I did. Thank you," Wendy replied.

For a moment the four stood completely blocking the corridor, staring at one another.

"Well, Geordi," Deanna broke the silence. "I have an appointment I need to get to, but if you have some time later we could talk about it."

"I could walk with you to your office, if that's okay?" Geordi offered.

Deanna nodded. "Excuse us," Deanna slipped past Will and strode towards the turbo lift with Geordi on her heals. They were quiet until the lift arrived and they stepped inside together.

"So much for not caring, huh?" he asked her sympathetically.

Deanna walked to the back of the lift and rested her forehead against the back wall.

"Are you okay, Counselor?"

Deanna took a deep breath before lifting her head and turning back to where Geordi stood. "Geordi, I am so sorry. That was completely ridiculous of me."

"I don't think it was ridiculous," Geordi responded. "You were caught off guard."

Deanna rollers her eyes and sighed, beginning to pace the floor in the confined space.

"Main engineering," Geordi called to the lift's computer system and the lift began it's decent.

Deanna didn't speak again, just paced until the doors opened and Geordi went to step out.

"I don't think you're ridiculous," he told her again quietly as he stepped past her and into engineering.

"Geordi!" Deanna called after him and he turned to look back at her. "Thank you."

He smiled and gave her a nod before turning and walking off and the doors closed in front of her.

"Deck ten," Deanna ordered the lift. She sighed and shook her head as she ran her hands up and pushed her hair back from her face. She could feel the lump in her throat. It was why she had not said anything as she and Geordi were in the lift together. After all these years, and here it was again, like some sort of sick deja vu. Well she would be damned if she were going to cry over who Will Riker spent the night with, not anymore and certainly not in front of Geordi Laforge.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek TNG or any of its books.

Will waited outside the captain's ready room door until he heard him call for him to enter and the doors slid open. Will stepped inside. "You wanted to see me, Sir?" Will asked.

The captain looked up from his computer terminal with a sigh and gestured to the chair opposite him at his desk. "Have a seat, Number One."

"Is there a problem, Sir?" Will asked taking a seat.

"No," the captain shook his head. "I am waiting for the names of the delegates from each planet. It should have been here already. But other than that, no. I suppose I wanted to ask you the same question," the captain concluded with a look of understanding.

"Deanna?" Will confirmed. The captain nodded, and Will sighed.

"After yesterday…is there anything I should know?"

"No, Sir. We're fine. I mean she's…I'm…we're fine." Will sighed again and shrugged his shoulders. "Wendy is a bit of a sore subject," Will confessed. "But there's nothing for you to worry about. I'll track her down and let her yell at me, and we'll get it out of our systems. I promise."

"Good," Captain Picard responded with a chuckle. "Whatever works. I will need both of you for this mission, Will. The ambassador trusts you. He wants your feel for the people involved, and the counselor's too." The captain hesitated. "I don't suppose you know of a way to make the ambassador's daughter get off Deanna's back a bit, do you?"

"She was pretty harsh yesterday," Will agreed rubbing his hand down his beard. "I tried to tell her to leave it alone last night at dinner, but with Wendy, you just never know what's gonna sink in."

"Try," the captain encouraged.

"Yes Sir." Will stood up. "Is there anything else, Sir?"

"That will do for now, Number One."

...

An hour later Deanna Troi stepped out of the turbo lift and without a look in the first officer's direction walked to the captain's ready room door and rang the chime. When she was called to enter, she walked in, head held high.

"Captain, you wanted to see me?" she asked.

"Counselor, please sit down," he encouraged.

Deanna looked back at the door and when she glanced forward the captain was studying her. "I'm sorry, Sir. I just have an appointment in twenty minutes. I was wondering if I should reschedule."

"Nonsense. This won't take that long. Have a seat," he indicated the chair again with his hand.

Deanna sat obediently and waited.

"How are you?" he asked finally.

"I'm fine, Sir. How are you?"

"The ambassador's daughter was a bit rough on you yesterday," he told her.

"I can handle it."

"And you were, in turn, a little rough on Commander Riker."

Deanna sighed. "I'm sorry, Sir. You are right."

"You two have your own relationship. I won't pretend like I understand it. If you want to have a go at each other, that is fine with me…as long as it doesn't interfere with your work."

"It won't, Sir. I'm sorry. I did let Wendy Roper upset me and I took it out on Will, because I could. I was going to apologize this morning, but…" she let the sentence die off. But the captain was a patient man and he waited for her to finish the thought. "There wasn't a good opportunity."

"Counselor, let me assure you, I do not take kindly to people belittling my staff. I don't care whose children they are," he told her.

She smiled at him gratefully.

"I asked Commander Riker if he could try to talk to her, since she seems so … fond of him."

"No! Captain. Please don't ask him to do that. It will only make the problem worse."

"Perhaps if her father spoke to her…He seems very fond of you."

"Then she would be better when her father was around and twice as bad when he wasn't. Please, Captain. I have been dealing with Wendy Roper since my fifteenth birthday party. I know how to handle her. Just please, let me do it."

"So," the captain said with a sigh. "This really isn't about my first officer, then?"

"No, not really. He was sort of the proverbial straw."

"I see," the captain told her. "So this all will blow over?" he asked.

"I'm sure it will. Most tiffs between Commander Riker and I do."

"At least they have," the captain commented. "That is all counselor," Jean Luc said looking back to his computer. "I will leave it in your capable hands. Dismissed."

The captain followed Deanna out of his ready room and addressed his first officer. "Number One, the delegations finally sent the lists of their members. Please go notify the ambassador and review them with him."

"Ay, Sir." Will said rising from his chair and beginning towards the turbo lift door where Deanna waited.

As Will approached her, Deanna realized that that they were going to be on the lift together, alone. She really didn't want to have to talk to him about that morning, but she could tell that he was just itching to bring it up. As the door opened, Will stepped inside, but Deanna hesitated, looking back onto the Bridge, as if she might remain.

"Didn't you have an appointment, Counselor?" the captain asked watching them both closely. Deanna looked to the other turbo lift on the opposite side of the bridge, wondering if she could possibly take that lift instead, but when she caught the captain's eye, she sighed. He was already wondering if this all was interfering with her duties. She wasn't going to give him more ammunition. "Yes, thank you," she said to the captain and stepped inside. As soon as the doors closed, Will turned and began to speak.

"Nothing happened," he told her.

"I didn't ask."

"We had dinner and then she came by this morning…"

"It's none of my business," she interrupted him.

"She is the ambassador's daughter!"

"That didn't seem to stop you last time." Deanna was looking straight ahead, no matter how Will tried to get her to look at him.

"That was different!" he said with a hint of anger in his voice.

"Yes, then her father was your boss!" Deanna finally turned and looked him in the eye.

"Nothing happened. We just had dinner. She came by this morning to give me some information she wanted me to go over with Data. That's it."

Deanna continued to stare.

"I know what it looked like," he continued. "And I know it upset you."

"I am NOT upset. What you do and with whom you do it, is none of my business."

Will stepped closer to her and took her elbow in his hand. "I can read you better than that, Deanna. I'm sorry I upset you."

"You DID NOT upset me."

"Deanna," he tried to be calm without being patronizing. "I could tell you were upset just by hearing your voice talking to Geordi in the corridor this morning, before I could even see you. I know you too well."

Deanna had tried to keep her emotions neutral, but the lump was building again in her throat. "Why her?" she asked on impulse. "I have watched you with a lot of women and said nothing, but why her?"

Will just stood there, taken aback by her outburst.

"You knew it would hurt me and did it anyway. Is it really that she means that much to you? If it is, just tell me. You are my friend. I want you to be happy. But I'm not sure she means anything to you at all. So I am left with the question. Why her? Is it that she means so much to you, or is it just that I mean so little?"

"Deanna, nothing happened. I wouldn't do that to you," he said as the turbo lift doors opened behind him. Will stepped to better block her exit. "Deanna, we had dinner, I took her home. That's it. Nothing happened."

"I have a patient waiting," Deanna told him simply. Slowly Will stepped out of her way and she pushed past him and out into the corridor, heading to her office.

...

Beverly and Deanna stretched as they finished their workout at the end of the day. They had worked out in near silence until Beverly finally asked why she had acted so funny on the bridge earlier.

"What did you hear about it?" Deanna asked hesitantly.

"I heard the captain say he is a little worried that you and Will are going to go through the next few weeks barely speaking to each other."

"We _are_ speaking to each other," Deanna replied. "I spoke to him this afternoon."

"Where?"

"In the lift."

"And you made up?"

"Well…no, not exactly. But I'm sure we will."

The truth was that she had spent a great deal of the afternoon trying to interpret her own behavior over the last day and a half. She had gotten so defensive watching Wendy hang on Will like she was in the transporter room. Then Wendy had opened her mouth, and the angrier that Deanna had gotten, the more she decided to take it out on Will. He could have pulled away from Wendy. It might have been a bit harsh, but he could have done it. He could have come to her defense. But why? Wasn't he correct when he said that she could take care of it herself? She knew he was. She didn't need some sort of macho hero to defend her from a caddy bitter woman who still worked for her father. So if that wasn't it, what was it that she was so easily upset about? Was it just the flashback to all those years ago? Was it that she couldn't completely separate how she felt then from how she felt now? Did she know how she felt now? More often than not, this was a problem that she tucked away somewhere in her psyche, only to be let out on those rare occasions.

Where did she and Will stand? They were friends? Best friends. They love each other, but how much and in what way? It was bad enough that she didn't know how she felt, but as much as she could sense that Will cared deeply for her, did he love her? It was just too confusing and Mark and Windy Roper being aboard were only making matters worse.

"So now what?" Beverly asked her.

"I don't know Beverly. I don't know that now is the right time to try to decide how we feel about each other," Deanna answered.

Beverly sighed lightly. "I meant what do you want to do now that we are done with our workout."

"Oh," Deanna was embarrassed that she had drifted so far into her own thoughts. "How about getting something to eat?"

Beverly nodded with a small chuckle under her breath. "Come on," she said tugging her out of the gym. "Dessert will help you snap out of it."

The two found a table in ten forward and ordered, then sat and chatted about anything but the ambassador, his daughter and their first officer. Beverly was talking about the next play that she was casting for as soon as they finished the peace negations. "I can think of a perfect part for you…It would be a great way to keep your mind occupied!"

"I don't think so Beverly," Deanna told her when a waiter interrupted her.

"Excuse me, Counselor." The waiter said approaching their table. He was carrying a vase of white roses, with a card tucked in the foliage. "These were just delivered for you," he told her, putting them down on the table next to her and smiling before walking away.

"Oh, a secret admirer?" Beverly suggested as Deanna reached for the card.

Deanna read the card to herself before replacing it in the foliage where it had been, with a small, almost sad, smile on her face.

"So…" Beverly tried again. "Are they from Will?"

Deanna nodded and sighed.

"So now have you made up?" Beverly inquired.

Deanna smelled the roses, but did not respond.

"Are they white because he is surrendering? You win?"

"I don't know if anyone wins with the two of us," Deanna told her introspectively.

The two women talked for a while longer before Will Riker walked into the room. Both Deanna and Beverly saw him enter and walk to the bar. Beverly looked back at Deanna with a questioning look, but Deanna only watched quietly. When Will finally looked over to where they sat, his face was hiding whatever emotion was there.

"I think I had better go," Beverly told Deanna, sliding out of her chair and standing.

"Beverly!"

But Beverly only waved and turned and walked away.

As soon as Beverly had left the room, Will left the bar and began to make his way over to where Deanna sat.

"Nice flowers," Will told her.

"I thought so."

"A thank you from a patient?"

"No."

"A love sick admirer?"

Deanna smiled in spite of her self. "You tell me."

"My guess is that he might have not acted as well as he could and just wanted you to know that there isn't anyone more important to him on this ship than you."

"Well, then I should probably go talk to him, whoever he is."

"Doesn't the card say who sent them?" Will asked.

Deanna shook her head. "But I think I have a pretty good idea."

Will sat in the chair across from her, the seat Dr. Crusher had just vacated. "I am sorry, Dea. Everything about her showing up here just threw me a little bit. It went badly. But that doesn't change in any way how I feel about you."

Deanna slowly turned her glass around in circles on the table and sighed. "No, Will. I'm sorry. You were right. I don't need you to defend me. And I shouldn't have said anything to the senior staff. I just wanted you to be squirming with me, I guess."

"When distressed, bring friends?" Will asked.

"Something like that," Deanna admitted. "I acted poorly. And who you have dinner with or do anything else with…that's none of my business. That's not about me. So I shouldn't have made it about me. I'm sorry."

They sat in silence for a moment before Will spoke again. "I like Mark Roper," he said. "But it _is_ a little weird having him and his… um, staff… on board."

"It just makes me think a lot about the past," Deanna told him. "My past."

"Our past?" Will asked her.

"That is part of it, yes," Deanna acknowledged.

"So what now?" Will asked her.

"I say thank you for the flowers."

"And then you have breakfast with me before the staff meeting tomorrow?" Will asked her hopefully.

Deanna sighed again with a small smile, and then nodded.

A smile spread across Will's face. He stood and leaned over to her and kissed Deanna on the cheek. "Good enough for now," he told her. "Good night Deanna."

Deanna smiled and waved as he walked off out of the lounge.

She thought about going home. She had plenty of research to be doing, but she didn't move. Something was gnawing at her, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Instead she sat watching the stars streak by, spinning her glass in circles in front of her. What was it that made her feel this way? Absentmindedly, she reached out and took the card from the flowers and read it again.

There were only a few words scrawled across the paper. Deanna let her eyes scan the sheet again.

_You know how I feel about you, right? _

That was all he had written. Was that what was bothering her? Did she know how Will felt about her? He apparently thought she did. Perhaps he assumed she could sense his emotions. But in truth, she guarded herself from those types of emotions from him. She had always thought of it as self-preservation. But now, she wasn't so sure. She quietly sat and watched the stars as the room emptied around her. It was getting late.

"Nice flowers," someone behind her said.

Deanna sighed deeply before turning to speak to her. "Hello Wendy."

Wendy Roper slipped into the seat next to Deanna and joined her in looking out at the stars streaking by. "My father told me that he thought I was rude to you yesterday," she said flatly.

"It's fine. My feelings aren't hurt that easily. Though I certainly hope that you would show more decorum with the delegates when they arrive."

Wendy gave a small sarcastic laugh. "So, it seems like you keep Will Riker on a pretty short leash," she told Deanna.

Deanna began spinning her glass again irritatedly. "Will Riker makes his own decisions. We each have our own lives."

"So that's it?" Wendy asked curiously.

"We are good friends. That's it."

"My father will be so disappointed. He always thought, and I have to admit, I did too, that you two had great chemistry. You could have really been something."

"It really isn't your concern," Deanna said, looking over at her for the first time since Wendy had sat down. "And some things aren't just about chemistry."

"Well, it's not all about philosophy and self reflection either," Wendy responded. "I learned a lot in ten years on Betezed. I learned to look at who people are and why they think the way that they do, that to acknowledge a difference is sometimes better than trying to force agreement. But this isn't Betezed. There are lots of worlds out there and few of them are as heady as your home. In the real world, sometimes you have to play the game. Some people respond well to the game of it, the challenge."

Wendy paused and looked at Deanna with an evaluating stare. "Maybe that's the problem. You never figured out how to play the game. He got bored with you, so you got relegated to the friend field." Wendy paused to think again. "That's it. You opened up, took away all the mystery. You bored him."

"Wendy, please. I am really not in the mood."

"You never got it, did you?" Wendy continued. "All these years, and what? You still think he was in love with you?"

"Wendy, I am not in the mood."

"He was no more in love with you than he was with me. Oh, my god! I thought you figured that out after he left!"

Deanna felt her anger overwhelming her. "You don't know anything about how Will felt about me then or how he feels about me now. So for the last time Wendy- back off!"

Wendy only sat back in her chair and laughed. "Hit a nerve did I?" she asked. Deanna rolled her eyes and went back to staring out the window. "Well let me tell you what I _do_ know. I _do_ know that Will Riker made a bet with my father about whether or not he could get you to sleep with him. It was apparently quite the contest. Could he melt the ice queen? Or would reject him like you did all the others," Wendy said.

"You were a challenge, Deanna. And when you stopped being a challenge, you became a good friend. Please. That is not love. It's a game. And if you're going to play the game, you had better learn the rules." Wendy stood up from her chair and looked down at a numb ships counselor, though her stare never varied from the stars. "I'm sorry to have to be the one to tell you," she said without a hint of real sympathy in her voice. "Good night Deanna."

Wendy walked away without another sound and Deanna did nothing to follow her movements. She tried to keep an air of confidence until she was fairly certain that she had left the room, until she was fairly certain that everyone had left the room. But her mind was a jumble of words and memories. She didn't know that she hated anyone that she had ever known, but at that moment she hated Wendy Roper. And yet the moment the words left her mouth, Deanna could sense that she was telling her the truth. And with that one revelation Deanna began to question every moment, every conversation, every action… and not just those from the years before on Betezed, but every day they had spent together for the last five years. Every vacation, every occasion, every kiss that lingered…

Her hands were shaking. Her breaths had lost their slow and even quality, and instead were coming in small gasps and sniffs as if she were in physical pain. She would soon loose her ability to control the tears she felt welling in her eyes. She needed to get out of that room. She stood and her hand brushed against the vase that sat on the table causing the card to fall fluttering to the table. His words stared back at her.

_You know how I feel about you, right? _

Deanna could only stare as a tear slipped down her cheek. _No, Will. I have no idea how you feel about me! I have no idea how you ever felt about me-_ Deanna screamed in her mind.

She began to pick up the vase to hurry out of the room, but as she stood she simply let go, let go of whatever it was or what it meant and she felt the vase shatter at her feet.

"Counselor?" Guinan came out from behind the bar. "Are you okay?"

Deanna looked up, shocked somehow that she was not, in fact, alone. "Guinan?"

Guinan bent down at her feet and began picking up the glass. "Are you hurt?" Guinan asked her again.

Deanna let out a small gasp as she looked down to see the vase in several broken pieces, roses scattered on the floor and water soaking into the carpet. "Guinan, I'm sorry,"

Deanna said bending down and helping her pick up the mess. "Here, let me get it,"

Deanna tried to take the debris from Guinan, but the other woman pushed her hand away.

"I'm so sorry."

"Counselor, are you okay?" Guinan asked her quietly.

"I'm…" Deanna began. "I… I need to go," Deanna finished.

"I'll get this," Guinan told her.

Deanna was shaking her head slightly, breathing heavily. "I…" but Guinan only nodded knowingly. "Thank you," Deanna told her before standing and quickly making her way back to her quarters.

She burst into the room and sank down on the floor where she sat catching her breath for a few minutes before stumbling into her room and sinking into her bed in tears.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek TNG the series or books.

Will Riker picked up his step as he neared the doors to ten forward. He was late to meet Deanna for breakfast. He had gotten stopped in the corridor by Mark's assistant, Rose, wanting to clarify the ambassador's schedule. While he didn't want Deanna to think that he was blowing her off, he would rather not mention that he had been chatting with a member, any member, of the ambassador's staff. He looked through the room as he entered the lounge and tried to spot Deanna, but he could not see her. He hated to think that she had come and gone already. He was only a few minutes behind.

"Commander," Guinan said walking past him and slipping behind the bar.

"Good morning, Guinan," Will greeted her in return. "Have you seen Deanna?" he asked as his eyes floated around the room.

"Not since last night. She seemed pretty upset before she left."

Will looked back to Guinan with a puzzled face. "She was fine when I left her," he said. "What happened?"

"I don't know the answer to that. I do know that she was speaking with one of the ambassador's aids."

"Which one?" Will asked, though he thought he might already know the answer.

Guinan only shrugged slightly. "I'm not actually familiar with the ambassador's staff's names…"

"Brown straight hair, about Deanna's same age?"

Guinan nodded once with a knowing look in her eye.

Will let out a small groan. "Thanks Guinan," he said patting her on the arm and then he spun around and left the room.

He was ticking off items in his head that Wendy could have said to Deanna that would have upset her as he headed to the turbo lift on his way to Deanna's quarters. After a few minutes, he decided he couldn't possibly count them all. Wendy could be like a Direlium butterfly, beautiful and peaceful, but able to emit a poison that would make you violently ill with just a brush of its wing.

It would probably be best to just let Deanna vent it out, assuming she was speaking to him. He didn't like that she had not showed up for breakfast. It was not a good sign of her mood. He stepped out of the turbo lift and began down the corridor to her door when his comm. badge beeped.

"Commander Riker, report to the bridge."

Will hesitated for only a moment, looking between her door almost in front of him and the turbo lift behind him. Then with a sigh, he tapped his badge. "On my way," he said turning back to the lift. Whatever it was that was bothering Deanna would have to wait.

...

Deanna had tossed and turned most of the night. She just couldn't get the realization out of her mind. Will had made a bet with Mark Roper about whether he could get her to sleep with him. It was a game to him. At first the hurt had been strong. She had cried herself to sleep, but by morning the hurt was secondary to the anger that filled her from her head to her toes. She was angry with Wendy Roper for coming on board and turning her world upside down so easily. Was her life truly that precarious? But the real anger, beginning to boarder on rage was with William T. Riker.

How could he do that to her? Had she really meant so little to him? He had told her that he loved her. She thought he had loved her. She thought he still loved her. Deanna rubbed at her tired eyes. Will was her best friend. They fought and teased, but when the rain began to fall, they were always there to shelter the other from the storms of life. And now, she questioned every moment of it. Was it possible that everything that had made them who they were today was because of some sort of a crass bet about getting her in bed years before? She couldn't shake that feeling of being used, to win a bet, to prove a point… Deanna sighed deeply from disappointment, in Will and in herself for buying every line that he had given her over the years that she had bought into against her better judgment. She pushed herself out of her tossed and twisted bed and got ready for the day. She had not met him for breakfast. He had not even seemed to notice. But in one hour, she was going to have to see him in a staff meeting, to sit with him at a table and tolerate his presents. She had one hour to get her rage under control.

...

Deanna was the last person to enter the observation lounge. Will stood near the door talking to the ambassador as the others were already taking their seats.

"Hey," Will greeted her, turning away slightly from the ambassador and reaching out for Deanna's arm. "You alright?" he asked. "You stood me up this morning."

Deanna could barely contain the disgust with him welling inside her. She glared up at him. "Don't talk to me," she said quietly, but forcefully, as she pulled her arm away from him.

Will only stared at her in return, shocked by the anger in her words. "Did I do something?" he asked her as he walked to his seat.

"You know what you did," Deanna snapped back in a fierce whisper.

Deanna glanced around the table. Mark Roper sat in the chair to the captain's right, directly opposite Will Riker, who sat in his customary chair to the captain's left. The rest of the senior staff was seated around the table, but it was quite obvious that the seat next to Will had been left open for Deanna, but it was the last place she wanted to be. With a bit of a huff, Deanna walked to the far end of the table where she sat next to Worf, crossing both her arms across her chest defensively. Will glanced down the length of the table at her and then back to the captain with a shrug.

"Are we ready to begin then?" the captain began. "We have received the names of the delegates that will be attending the negotiations," he nodded at the ambassador.

"My staff is doing the research on each member of the delegations now," he informed the captain.

"And the holodeck program for the negotiation hall?" the captain asked Geordi.

Deanna watched as each item for the conference was discussed. Each member of the staff added their bits of knowledge and expertise. But as the meeting went on, Deanna found herself watching closely as Mark Roper and Will Riker bantered back and forth between the two of them.

"I believe I will begin with the Torranan's. They seem to be the more willing advocates for peace. They seem to have a better long-term view of the damage that these continued actions of aggression could cause. I think it will be easier to begin with some concessions from their side," the ambassador concluded in response to a question from the captain.

Will Riker shrugged non-cammittaly from across the table.

"You see it differently, Will?" Mark asked.

"You are the ambassador, Ambassador. They wanted you," Will replied.

"But…"

"Well, as far as I can tell, it seems like the Torranan's have been a bit bullied around for the last, say twenty years or so. The Celic's advance, they fall back in the interests of peace. Over and over again. It won't bring peace," Will told him.

"No more than Betezed's peaceful resistance to the Sirandeen raids brought peace to Betezed?" Mark asked using their joint experience to draw a parallel.

Will thought about that. "Well, no," he concluded.

"So you are saying that the Torranan's should have, say, put their foot down over what may have seemed to be a trivial matter…art perhaps… years ago and they could have avoided this whole mess?"

"What I'm saying," Will said with a sigh, "is that getting a concession from the Torranan's may be easier, but it only adds to the Celic's power and the Torranian's weakness. Now if Celica made the first concession, that is something to bargain with."

"Well, I guess we just see this one differently," Mark told him.

"I guess we do," Will agreed.

"Only one of us is right," Mark bantered back.

"Who's to say what's right or wrong?" Will answered.

"I know," Deanna's harsh voice cut in from the end of the table. "Maybe the two of you can make a bet about it."

The comment was so abrupt and completely out of place that it left everyone at the table looking from one to another in absolute confusion. Everyone but Mark Roper and Will Riker. Will's eye's locked with Deanna's and like he had been hit over the head, he knew what she had meant. He looked away from her continued glare and over to the wide eyes of the ambassador.

The room remained in silence for some time, but the captain interrupted the uncomfortable pause. "If there is nothing else," he began. Deanna was up out of her chair and mostly out the door before the word "Dismissed" completely left the captain's throat.

The entire room continued sitting, looking for some clue as to what had just gone on.

"You told her about that?" Mark Roper asked shocked.

Will half gasped half sighed. "I told her? You think I told her that? Do I look stupid to you?" Will asked, his voice showing his frustration.

"Well, I certainly didn't tell her," Mark said defensively. "I wouldn't throw you under the bus that way."

"You wouldn't. But I can think of someone who would," Will said not even trying to hide his contempt.

"Wendy?"

Will nodded once with an angry scowl.

"I'll talk with her," Mark told him.

Will looked at the door that Deanna had just vanished out of. "It may be a little late for that."

The captain finally spoke up, reminding the two men that there were still five other people in the room. "Something you would care to explain, Number One?"

"No, Sir."

The captain raised one eyebrow and continued his steady gaze.

"I'll fix it," Commander Riker added.

"I'll help," the ambassador offered as both the men stood to leave the room.

Will looked back at the captain.

"Please do so," Jean Luc told his first officer, who nodded before leaving.

...

Deanna spent most of the day in her office, meeting with patients and writing up reports. She could force herself, when she was with a patient, to focus on their needs instead of her own problems. She was somewhat less effective at this when writing up reports, half of which were going to Will anyway. She was still seething. She had half expected him to come after her when she left the staff meeting, but he hadn't. It wasn't that she wanted him to, exactly, other than she could have laid into him and gotten some of the sheer emotion churning in her out into the open.

By the end of the day the constant tumult of emotion had left her exhausted. She put down the PADD that she had been working on and began to straighten up, to return to her quarters, when the chime on her door rang.

She hesitated for only a moment, before she could sense clearly that it was not Will Riker, and though she wasn't entirely sure who it was, she was content to know she wouldn't have to face him in that moment, though she knew the moment must happen eventually.

"Come in," Deanna called.

The doors opened to show Beverly Crusher standing in the doorway.

"Hello Beverly," Deanna greeted her.

"So, we let you hide out all day," Beverly began stepping inside the office and walking over to take the seat behind Deanna's desk. "Are you ready to talk now?" she asked. She took a posture that was her best imitation of Deanna. "I'm listening," she said imitating her friend.

Deanna tossed a PADD at her. "I do not say that," she responded.

"No you have that look that says it for you, but I don't have the eyes to make that face,"

Beverly told her. "So, come on. Let's hear it. I thought you two made up last night, and this morning you were ripping his head off."

Deanna sank down to her couch and buried her face in her hands with a heavy sigh. "I really don't want to talk about it," she told her friend. "It's… it's a little humiliating."

Beverly's eyes widened. "For you or Will?"

She thought about that for a moment. "I hope he has enough decentsy for it to be both."

"Okay, come on. Let's go," Beverly stood from the desk and headed for the door.

"Where?" Deanna asked her.

"It's poker night," Beverly reminded her.

"Oh, no. I am not going to go play poker with him. Not tonight."

"Well then you are in luck. I overheard Will saying he was doing something with the ambassador tonight. Come on. It will take your mind off whatever it is." Beverly prodded her reluctant friend out the door and on to the senior staff lounge.

Deanna resigned herself to the idea of some light hearted conversation by the time they reached the lounge, but as the door swished open in front of her she added Beverly to the list of the people she was furious with.

Will sat at the poker table with Mark Roper next to him. Worf, Data and Geordi finished out the table. When the doors opened all eyes turned to look at the two women in the door.

Deanna glanced back over her shoulder at Beverly before attempting to turn around and walk away. She could sense Beverly's genuine shock at seeing the commander and ambassador and that did something to calm Deanna, but she still did not want to be there.

"I didn't think that meant poker here," Beverly whispered still trying to push Deanna into the room. "I'm sorry."

Deanna tried to walk away again.

"You can't just leave," Beverly told her. "One hand. Come on," she was pleading.

Deanna glanced at the faces of the men already at the table and then back at Beverly. "One hand," Deanna said loud enough for them all to hear. She scowled as she walked towards the table.

Mark Roper stood up to greet Deanna as she passed. "Hello dear," he said leaning in and kissing her lightly on the cheek.

"Mark," she replied with a bit of a forced smile.

Will watched to see how she responded to him and thought it wasn't that bad, so he thought he would give it a try. "Hey Dea," he said.

Deanna only glared back at him coldly.

"What?" Will cried. "He's fine, but I'm on your hit list? What did I do worse than him? It was his idea."

Deanna leaned closer to Will and said in a fierce whisper, "I didn't sleep with him." Then she sat in her seat across from them with her fingers tapping anxiously on the table.

"Okay," Will said with a surrendering shrug, beginning to shuffle the cards in front of him. "But how mad are you really? On a scale of one to ten?"

Deanna looked back incredulously, shaking her head slightly.

"Seriously," Will offered again.

Deanna sighed. "Him," she said pointing to Mark Roper, "about a nine. You, a forty two."

The rest of the table could only look around at the others puzzled.

"Counselor, I believe the commander intended the scale to be ten at the most angry that you could be," Data offered helpfully.

"Oh, thank you Data. I must have misunderstood. Forty two," Deanna snapped.

"I think we ought to stay out of it," Geordi whispered to his friend.

"Forty two?" Will repeated.

"Maybe more," Deanna said tritely, snapping up the cards that he had dealt her.

"So you just aren't going to talk to me?" Will asked her.

She didn't respond, only looked at her cards.

"You can't just not talk to me," he tried again.

Deanna dropped her voice again to speak to Will. "You don't want to do this now," she cautioned him glancing at the other occupants of the table.

"Oh, come on," Will urged her.

"Let's just play," she said exasperated by him.

"Just tell me…" Will began, but he had pushed her too far.

Deanna threw her cards down on the table and started to yell. It was like something in her snapped and she no longer cared who else was in the room. "You made a bet about whether you could get me to sleep with you!"

"It wasn't like that," Will tried to defend himself.

"Really? What was it like? I just don't see a lot of other ways for that to be?"

Will glanced from Deanna to Mark Roper looking for a little help, but he didn't get any.

"Deanna," he tried again.

"It was a game, a challenge. He made you a challenge," she said pointing to Mark, "and you took it. Never one to pass up a challenge, are you Commander."

She waited, but neither Will or Mark responded.

"Ahh," Deanna almost screamed, standing up from the table. "I hope you were pleased with yourself. You wanted to melt the ice queen,"

"I never called you that!" Will said.

"It was a contest! Add it to the lists of your conquests."

"That's not fair!" Will was standing now too making his way to the end of the table where Deanna was heading to leave. He blocked her way. "That is not what happened and since when do you take what Wendy Roper tells you as fact?"

"Well, let's see. Maybe when she's the only one telling the truth. I notice in seven years, you never seemed to mention your little bet. No. I got to hear it from Wendy in ten forward. It was so much more pleasant that way," she yelled sarcastically, pushing past him on her way to the door.

"What do you want, Deanna?" Will pleaded.

Deanna paused before she spun on her heals to face the room again. The entire table was watching, perfectly still. Mark Roper was the only one who dared fidget. Then she turned to look at Will.

He looked genuinely surprised by her level of anger, even sad, definitely worn down. "What do you want from me?" he asked again, his voice softer.

"I want to know how much the bet was for," she told him flatly.

"Ah, Deanna," Will groaned in frustration.

"No, I want to know," she said, the anger creeping back into her voice. "How much was the bet, Will? I want to know what it was worth to you."

Will only looked helplessly at her, but said nothing.

"Fine," Deanna yelled, then turned her gaze to Mark Roper. "How much was the bet?" she repeated the question to Mark.

Mark looked from Will to Deanna and did not speak.

"Do you want to join him on the hit list?" Deanna asked him.

"Two hundred credits," Mark finally answered her quietly.

Deanna sighed, and nodded at Mark. "And did he collect on his bet?" she asked him.

Mark shook his head slowly.

"No? Well pay the man. He won fair and square." Deanna turned again to leave, but she heard Mark Roper stand up behind her.

"In his defense," Mark began. "He told me he lost that bet. He even gave me the two hundred credits."

Deanna turned back again, slowly, and looked right at Will. "What happened, Will? Honor get the better of you?"

Again Will just looked at her, with hurt in his eyes, but did not respond.

"Well, at least I was expensive." With one last glare she spun and stormed out of the room.

The whole room was still as the doors hissed shut after her

"Damnit," Will sighed under his breath, before leaving the others and all their curiosity and heading after Deanna.

He missed her on the lift, and waited impatiently tapping his foot. By the time he was approaching her door, she was nowhere in sight. He walked to her door and rang the chime. There was no answer. He didn't really expect there to be. He thought he knew where she would go, but thought it was worth checking. "Computer, is Counselor Troi in her quarters?" he asked.

The monotone voice answered, "Affirmative."

He rang the chime again and listened for any noise. "Deanna," he called. "I'm not going away until you talk to me. I will stand out here and make a scene all night if you make me." Still all he heard was silence from her quarters.

An ensign from engineering walked by and looked at him curiously, hurrying along his way.

Will rang the chime again. Nothing. "Damnit, Deanna," Will said as he keyed in his security override into the door and they slid open. He stepped inside the dark quarters and let the doors close behind him.

"What the hell do you think you are doing?" Deanna yelled, standing from where she had been sitting on the end of her bed and came at him, full force. "Get out!"

"No!" he yelled in return. "You started this. Let's finish it."

"Get out!" Deanna repeated.

"No!"

"Then I will call security and have them drag you out!"

"You wouldn't dare!"

"Try me, Commander," she said bitterly.

Will dropped his voice to a calmer decibel level. "Deanna," he said. "It was stupid and juvenile and I'm sure it was hurtful. I'm sorry."

"Shut up!" she said making no effort to match his calmness. "You were just…"

"It was not a game, Deanna," he continued calmly. "How can you think that?"

Deanna was breathing hard. She had either run down the corridor to her quarters or her anger had completely gotten the better of her. Will couldn't tell.

"What am I supposed to think, Will?" she asked. "Is that why you pursued me so vigorously? You didn't want to loose a bet? You lied to me!"

"I didn't."

Deanna paused. When she spoke again, her voice was quiet. "You're right," she said.

"I am?" he asked puzzled.

"You told me that first night at the embassy. I just didn't listen. Maybe I didn't want to hear."

"What are you talking about?" he asked her.

"I asked why me, that there were lots of other women, more your type…You said you liked a challenge."

"Deanna,"

"I told you, Will. This meant something to me. I told you I wasn't interested in having sex for the hell of it. It had to mean something. I told you that. I waited a long time, Will. It wasn't for lack of opportunity. I wasn't having sex when I was seventeen, or any other time. And it wasn't just because of what I was. It was who I was, who I am. It had to mean something. I told you that, and you didn't care."

"I didn't care?" he asked, anger again in his voice.

"Sex is just that. That's all it is to you. You aren't capable of it being more. I thought you were, but I was wrong." The anger was back in her voice as well. "You weren't capable then and you aren't now."

"Don't you dare," Will broke in. "Don't tell me that the relationship we have now is because of me. Maybe I wasn't ready. Maybe you're right. But don't tell me how I felt about you. I know how I felt. And I know how I feel now. I'm here, Deanna. You are the one who can't choose. You are the one who drew a line in the sand when we were stationed here and you said here and no further, and I have never pushed you on it, not once. I wouldn't,"

"Then get out!" Deanna screamed.

"Fine!" Will yelled back at her. "Let me know when you know what you want," Will called as he stormed out the door.


	4. Chapter 4

Geordi Laforge looked between the ambassador and Dr. Crusher for some clue of what to say or do.

"That was a foolish action," Worf finally spoke.

"I know, and I thoroughly agree, Mr. Worf," the ambassador replied. "And I take total responsibility. I started it. It was stupid and insensitive of me. I suppose that I was only trying to tell him that I knew Deanna and she was not going to be an easy target. He could have chosen someone who would have taken a lot less effort," the ambassador concluded.

"So let me get this straight," Dr. Crusher spoke from her seat. "You and Commander Riker made a bet seven years ago when you were the Federation ambassador to Betezed and Will was a lieutenant, that he wouldn't be able to get Deanna to have sex with him? Did Deanna work for you or something? How did she get involved in this?"

"Oh, no no. Deanna was still a student at the university. But I knew her mother well and Deanna and Wendy were about the same age, so there were several social events that they attended together. I had gotten to know her well over the years. In fact, I believe your Commander Riker met Deanna at one of those social events he was attending with my daughter on my behalf."

"And what was that?" Beverly asked curiously.

"Deanna's friend Chandra's wedding… haven't you heard these stories a hundred times?" the ambassador asked.

"No," the remaining members of the enterprise staff said in unison.

"Oh," the ambassador seemed taken aback. "Well, if they haven't shared these sorts of things with you, then perhaps it would be better if I didn't either." The ambassador sat back in his chair and folded his arms over his belly.

"At Betazoid weddings, the guests are naked are they not?" Worf asked after an awkward silence.

The ambassador nodded his head. "Yes, why?"

"You mentioned that Commander Riker and Counselor Troi met at a wedding…" Worf continued. "It would seem to be an uncomfortable way to meet someone," he concluded.

The ambassador began to chuckle. "I would have to agree, but it is Federation custom to comply with the cultural norms that we encounter on the worlds where we serve."

There was another pause.

"So should we deal again?" Geordi asked awkwardly.

"I have another question, Ambassador, if you do not object," Data interjected.

"What can I tell you Mr. Data?" The ambassador turned in his seat to get a clear view of whom he was speaking to.

"You mentioned in the staff meeting this morning a parallel between the Torranian world and their relationship with the Celic's, and the Sirandeen raids that Betezed experienced for over twelve years."

"Yes, I believe I did."

"To the best of my knowledge, there has not been a Sirandeen raid in over seven years. And it is also my understanding from reading Commander Riker's service record that he was in command of the ground troops that led the offensive against the last Sirandeen raiders."

Data waited for the ambassador to respond, but he did not. He was apparently waiting for there to be a question. "Do you feel that the commander's experience in that situation has somehow tainted him on this occasion?"

"No, Mr. Data. Not at all. I value his opinion. He made a decision. The raids were becoming worse with each attack. Several Betazoids had been wounded in the last few. He decided that in the interests of peace, he would rather risk an innocent civilian being lost or wounded to have it end, then and there. If he did nothing to stop them, they would only come back and in the end more people and property would be hurt or lost."

"So what happened?" Geordi asked.

"He has never mentioned this?" the ambassador asked puzzled, hesitant to reveal something that Will had not.

But Data had read the reports of the incident. "According to the written reports, there were nine Sirandeen raiders, and they were pillaging the Fine Art Museum in Betezed's central city. Then, Lieutenant Riker led the offensive that eventually killed all nine raiders, and returned the art, and one Betezoid hostage safely."

"And there hasn't been a raid since?" Geordi asked the ambassador.

"Not one. Will took a gamble, and he won. And so did the planet. They are a peaceful people. Some thought what he did was barbaric, but the Sirandeen learned that the star fleet ground forces would no longer sit by and watch the Betezoids suffer."

The Enterprise crewmembers looked around and nodded to one another, as if to agree that it in fact sounded like a decision that Will Riker would have made.

"But there was one rather large detail that Mr. Data left out of the incident."

Data looked back to the ambassador with a questioning look.

"Did your written records happen to mention the identity of the Betezoid hostage you mentioned?" Mark Roper asked.

"No. It did not. It only mentioned that it was a Betazoid civilian. The identity of the civilian would be irrelevant."

"Would you still find it irrelevant if I told you that the hostage the Sirandeen raiders took was none other than your ships counselor?"

"Deanna?" Beverly questioned. "Did Will know that?"

"You mean before he opened fire on them?" Mark asked.

Beverly nodded.

"Yes. He did."

"And they knew each other?" Geordi asked.

"They had been dating for a few weeks. When Will's troops shot down the Sirandeen ship, it crashed into the jungle. It took Will four days to find her and bring her home. She was lucky she survived," the ambassador finished.

"He found her?" Beverly asked. "Or his troops?"

"His troops had spit up to cover as much ground as possible. He was alone when he found her and the head of the Sirandeen raiders. They alone had survived the crash. He fought the last raider and brought her home safely. I can't believe that none of you have heard about this before."

"Me neither," the doctor replied. "It sounds like something out of an old romance novel."

"Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction," Mark told them. "I think I have probably shared enough about the two of them for one night. I am going to go home and leave the four of you to your game."

"You don't have to," Geordi offered.

"Well, thank you Commander. But I think I have had my fill of bets for today." The ambassador stood and nodded to the remaining players. "Goodnight.

...

Will walked into his quarters, fuming. How could she be so unreasonable? He knew she was angry. She had every right to be. But she wouldn't even listen to him! How could he explain to her what had happened if she wouldn't listen? It was so easy for her to tell him it was all his fault, that he had hurt her and so now he was simply lucky that she would allow him to be her friend. But he had been ready for quite a while now. He had even tried to tell her once or twice, but she had shut him down, tried to maintain the status quo, and he decided he would wait. He would wait a lifetime for her. But right now she hated him, hated him for a stupid joke from seven years before.

Will paced back and forth across his floor until he reached the bulkhead to his bedroom. He needed some way to let out some of his frustration. So he kicked the wall with all his strength and the pain immediately shot through his foot. Now he was just angry with a hurt foot. "Damnit!" He said grabbing his foot and sitting down on the chair, pulling his foot up to rest on his knee. "Damnit!" he repeated. This time he grabbed a PADD that sat on the end table next to him and threw it across the room. It hit the wall and fell to the floor with a thud. He didn't feel any better.

He wanted to yell at something, someone. But not Deanna. He shouldn't have yelled when he left. How could he blame her for feeling used, betrayed even. He had acted so stupid all those years ago. He didn't appreciate that he had met the most amazing person, the person that would touch his life and change him forever. He didn't understand at first, maybe he hadn't even understood at the end, but he knew it now. And she wouldn't even talk to him. All because Wendy Roper got a thrill out of putting Deanna down. Wendy. He had hurt Deanna with that as well. Why was he always hurting her? Why was Wendy hurting her? What had Deanna ever done to her?

And with that one thought, Will was back up and charging out of his quarters, ignoring the throbbing in his foot and heading for the guest quarters where Wendy was staying.

Will hit the door chime as if it were in some way to blame for his problems, and the doors slid open in front of him.

"Hey there, Commander," Wendy said walking towards him as if she were going to hug him.

Will pushed her away from him, holding her by the shoulders. "Why did you do that?" he asked her.

"Do what?" she replied, shocked at his firmness.

"You know what, Wendy. You told Deanna about the bet your father and I made. Why?"

"Why not?" she asked stubbornly, pulling away from him. "It's the truth."

"What?" Will asked confused.

"The truth. Certainly you aren't trying to say that I told her a lie."

"It's not about truth or a lie," Will raged back, his voice getting louder as his anger came billowing to the surface. "It's about hurting people just for the hell of it!"

"All I did was tell her what I knew. I didn't make bets about whether or not I could bag her. You did that. You can't be mad at me for that."

"You hurt her just to enjoy watching it! What did she do to you, Wendy? What did Deanna Troi ever do to you?"

"What would you know about it?" Wendy yelled back at him. "You wouldn't have any idea what it was like to go to a totally different planet when you were fourteen years old…not able to communicate like everyone else and to have no friends." Wendy turned away from Will and walked towards the window. "All I needed was some friends, but I was beneath her, or maybe her mother. I was too mouthy and free spirited. Things that on Earth made me interesting, on Betezed made me intolerable to their society. And Deanna just watched me suffer. She never once reached out to me."

Will watched as patiently as he could as Wendy told her story.

"And it wasn't just her," Wendy said turning back to Will. "She was just the leader. The queen of the ice queens,"

"Don't call her that," Will said angrily.

"She is! No one is good enough for her. I wasn't. You sure as hell weren't. She had to change you before she'd allow herself to sink to your level!"

"You don't know anything about her."

"I know her better than you do!" Wendy yelled back.

"No!" Will's voice roared through the room. "No one knows her better than me. Maybe you are talking about some adolescent version of her that I never knew, but this Deanna Troi, ships counselor to the flag ship of the Federation, commander in Star Fleet…she is kind and warm and giving to anyone and everyone she meets. She puts herself last, behind everyone else. She is _the _most amazing person I have ever known."

Wendy sighed sarcastically and shook her head. "Where did you get this romanticized idea of who she is? I've been here two days and I can tell you she hasn't changed one bit from the ice queen I remember." Wendy began to walk away.

"I said, don't call her that!" Will said grabbing her by the wrist. He could feel his hands trembling with anger. "Just leave her alone, Wendy. We all have a job to do, so let's do it. But you leave her alone."

"Is that an order, Commander?" Wendy asked, sarcasm dripping from every word. "It's a real shame I don't take orders from you, or from anyone else."

"You'll take them from me," Mark Roper's voice echoed from the doorway behind Will. "It was unkind and unnecessary, Wendy," he told his daughter, walking into the room. "And it won't make anything that we need to do here any easier. If Will says leave her alone, then leave her alone. If he wants you to apologize then you will march your butt over to her quarters and tell her you're sorry. Is that clear?"

Will had never heard Mark Roper talk to anyone the way he just spoke to his own daughter, and the look on Wendy's face only confirmed his suspicion that this was an incredibly rare moment.

"Yes, Daddy." Wendy said softly.

Will looked from Wendy to her father.

"Is there anything else Commander?" Mark asked.

Will shook his head at Wendy. "No," he said quietly.

The two of them followed him with their eyes as he turned and walked out.

...

Within two days the peace negotiations had begun. The two delegations were wary of meeting together at first. Things were tentative at best and everyone was on their toes. After two days of negotiations Ambassador Roper and the captain agreed to assign Commander Riker to work as the lead with the Celic delegation. The leader of the Celic delegation, Parto Brose, took to Will right away. He was more comfortable talking to Will than he was with any of the other members of the crew or ambassador's staff and Will got his way. The Celic's agreed to a large concession in trade routs through the system within the first few days that he was working with them. After that, things began to fall into place. The delegations were meeting with the ambassador together, making progress on each of the issues that divided them.

If only other things were going as smoothly, Will thought to himself as he headed home. He hadn't spoken to Deanna since that night in her quarters almost five days ago. Of course, they had spoken while on duty and about the peace negotiations, but their relationship was like a flip of a switch, on for work and then off. There were no niceties, no words of encouragement. At first he was hurt that she wouldn't even give him a chance, but as the days went on he began to resent the anger she felt towards him, without so much as letting him defend himself. He could tell that she could sense the change in his attitude. It only made her withdraw from him more, if that were even possible.

A full week into the negotiations, everyone was starting to show some of the strain from the constant stress between the two parties. Each delegation negotiated each matter as if the future of their universe depended on it, and to them, it probably did.

Ambassador Roper sat at the observation lounge table with three of the five members of the Torannian delegation. Captain Picard sat with Grota Rau, the leader of the group and Counselor Troi sat at the ambassador's right. Each person had a PADD with the current terms of the treaty in front of them. Grota Rau was leaning in to speak with the other members of his delegation and the ambassador, captain and counselor sat patiently waiting.

Deanna startled when her PADD popped up with a private message.

_Counselor,_

_I need to speak with you briefly after this meeting, in my ready room._

Deanna looked across the table to meet the captain's gaze and gave him a quick nod of acknowledgement as Grota Rau leaned back to rejoin the group.

When the meeting adjourned two hours later, Deanna quietly followed the captain to his ready room and took a seat on the couch as he directed her to.

The captain leaned back on his desk and sighed then tugged on his uniform tunic. She could sense his discomfort.

"Is something troubling you about the negotiations, Sir?" Deanna asked.

"No," Jean Luc answered. "Quite to the contrary. I think everything is going better than expected, even if it can be a bit…tedious."

Deanna nodded.

"No, I wanted to speak with you about a different matter."

Deanna waited for him to continue as he cleared his throat.

"I spoke with Admiral Rogan, on Star Base 131, this morning. He was under the impression that you were interested in hearing about other openings that may be available to you," the captain concluded.

"I'm sorry, Captain. It wasn't meant to be like that," Deanna sighed looking down at her hands that rested in her lap.

"May I ask why you would be looking at other positions?"

"Captain," Deanna began.

"If there is something else you want to do with your life, if there is something that is better for you…Deanna, I hope you know that I would support that. But if this is about whatever has been going on between you and my first officer…"

"It's not about Will. Not exactly. And I was not asking for a transfer. It was just I thought I had to see what options might be available."

"Deanna, you would leave over this…this woman?" he asked puzzled. Jean Luc Picard had come to think of his senior staff as his family and Deanna could sense the captain's serge of emotions at the thought of something tearing them apart.

"Captain, I value my colleagues and crew on this ship too much to not insure that they have the best possible leaders,"

"They have the best possible leaders," the captain interrupted her. "You and Will fight. I know it, the senior staff knows it and then you both move on."

Deanna shook her head. "I'm afraid this might be different. We are both doing our best to do our jobs to the best of our ability, Sir. But I don't know that it is a long-term solution. It isn't what is best for the ship."

"What did he do?" Jean Luc asked flatly.

Deanna only continued to look down at her hands and did not speak. But again, the captain was a patient man and he waited. "I'd rather not say," she finally concluded.

"Well, I wish you would reconsider. If you are telling me that my first officer did something that you find so offensive, so unforgivable in your mind, that you are saying you are no longer willing to serve with him, I think I had better know about it."

"It's personal," Deanna said quietly.

The captain nodded, though nothing about his posture indicated agreement.

"Captain," Deanna spoke again, but the captain turned to walk behind his desk.

"Dismissed," he told her without looking up at her again.

Deanna stood and sighed. She thought about trying to continue the conversation, but he had activated his computer monitor. He had ended the conversation. With another sigh and her head low, she walked out of the room. On the bridge Will Riker stood next to Worf looking over something on his display. He looked up when he heard her walk out of the ready room. She looked drained. Their eyes met and Will had the urge to talk to her, to see if she was okay, but before he could move, she turned from him and headed to the turbo lift.

That was how it had been. When he walked into a room, she walked out. When it was his bridge shift, she was just leaving. It was as if their lives were on opposite tracks. He kept thinking that maybe the next day they would make the time to talk, but it had been ten days since the fight that they had, and nothing was any better. Will watched Deanna step into the lift and disappear, and he sighed with frustration.

After a few minutes the captain stepped out of his ready room. "Number One," he called. "A word please."

Will walked towards the captain and followed him into the room. "Is there something I can do for you, Sir?" Will asked.

"Yes," the captain said definitely. "You can fix whatever this is happening between you and Counselor Troi."

Will sighed and slumped down in the chair opposite the captain's desk.

"I thought this was just one of your spats, and I was wiling to be patient, but apparently she is upset enough to consider requesting a transfer from the Enterprise," the captain told him.

"What?" Will looked up at him shocked. "That's a bit of an over reaction, don't you think?"

"I am not sure what to think, Number One. I don't even know what happened. Counselor Troi tells me it's personal. I suppose I could ask Dr. Crusher, but I'd rather hear it from one of you."

Will put his face in his hands for a moment before he spoke. "I was an idiot," he told his captain. "I made a bet with Mark Roper about Deanna, and now she is livid."

"You made this bet a few days ago?" the captain asked.

"No, Sir. Seven years ago."

"And you bet…?" the captain inquired.

Will took a deep breath. "Mark Roper said that she wouldn't have anything to do with me," he sighed. "I said she would…Somehow it turned into a bet about if she would have sex with me. I don't know how."

"And she just found out about this," the captain speculated. "And isn't too happy," the captain sighed as well. "That was stupid, Will."

"I know. I also know that it was seven years ago."

"Talk to her. Apologize. Do whatever it takes. I am not happy," the captain said. "Not happy," he repeated. "There is too much happening on this ship to allow this to divert any of our attention."

"Yes, Sir."

Will and Captain Picard watched each other for a moment.

"Go!" the captain urged.

Will rose quickly and with a nod, left the ready room and followed the path Deanna had taken to the turbo lift.

He found her in Ten Forward. She was sitting with Beverly Crusher and the two were talking softly. She looked up at him as soon as he walked through the doors. They were locked in a stare for a moment across the room. Then Deanna spoke quickly to Beverly and stood and began to walk out.

Will rolled his eyes, sighed and shook his head, before heading out the door after her. She beat him to her door and disappeared inside. Will did not even bother to ring the chime. He knew she wouldn't answer it. For the second time in ten days, he punched in his security override code and walked in behind her.

Deanna spun around, a look of shock more than rage plastered on her face. "What…" she began.

"You would leave over this?" he asked her, his voice filled with frustration.

"You can not just barge in here…"

"You would leave. You would transfer away from your friends, your family, because of something stupid I did seven years ago?"

"Maybe you're not the Will Riker I thought I knew," Deanna told him softly.

Will stared back at her. Her head was low. She was looking down at the floor.

"No, Deanna. You know me," he said stepping towards her. "You KNOW me."

Deanna only shook her head.

With a heavy sigh Will stepped back. His voice was firm but quiet. He was so weary about this. It had gnawed at him every moment of every day since Deanna had raged at him. "If you would walk away rather than talk this out with me…then maybe you are not the Deanna Troi I thought I knew," he responded and turned and walked away.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own any of it-

To my readers- Sorry this last bit took a while. Life drags us away sometimes. It is a little rough, so forgive me. Please let me know what you think. I am probably done writing for a bit now.

Deanna Troi waited for the turbo lift to head to the observation lounge. She had taken extra time to clear her mind that morning. It was going to be a long tense day as the negotiations between the Torannians and Celics drew to a close.

All the small items had been resolved, all the details that could be taken off the table had been, and what was left was the largest and most contested item left between the two parties, the use of the agricultural lands on the third uninhabited planet. Both parties wanted control. It was what they were risking going to war over. It was rich in natural resources and energy supplies.

The ambassador knew that everything they had worked on for almost two weeks was counting on this day and Deanna wanted to make sure that she could provide him with every assistance she could possible give. It was important to her that her mind was clear or the clutter of her own emotions so she could concentrate on the emotions of the delegates in the room.

The turbo lift doors opened and Deanna immediately let out a long slow breath as she stared right at one of the last things that would allow her to free herself from her emotional clutter. Wendy Roper stood staring back at her.

"Counselor," Wendy acknowledged her, though Deanna would not go so far as to call it a greeting.

"Good morning, Wendy," Deanna tried to sound warm. She stepped in and stood a ways from her shoulder. "You must have been busy over the last few days. I haven't seen much of you."

"I wonder why that is," Wendy's voice held an edge.

Deanna felt the urge to snap at her, but bit back her terse response and took a deep breath. She would not let her bait her. Too much was riding on the day ahead. "I assume that you have been working fervently. It has been a very difficult negotiation."

"Whatever," Wendy rolled her eyes.

Deanna tried to take another breath to keep her mind clear, but it was not working. "You know what, Wendy? I have a job to do today. I'm not fifteen anymore and neither are you, so whatever your problem is with me, you are just going to have to shove it, at least for today."

"What would you recommend, that I go hide out in my quarters?" Wendy continued oozing with sarcasm. "Would that make you comfortable? I would really hate for you to be uncomfortable."

"What is it with you Wendy? Are you just _that _unhappy? Is this about your teenage years…Will Riker…what? If it's really about Will, he's all yours you can have him. But my god, move on and grow up." Deanna finished just as the lift came to a stop again and the doors opened and Worf stepped into the lift and it proceeded on to its destination.

The lift was silent, but the tension between the two women was palpable, even to Worf. He stayed silent, as did the other two passengers until the lift came to a stop in the hall outside the observation lounge. The hall was empty, and Wendy Roper pushed past Worf, out of the lift, quickly striding down the corridor and into the observation lounge.

Both Worf and Counselor Troi stepped out of the lift, but Deanna did not rush her step. Instead, she lingered in the hall and tried again to clear her head of the emotional clutter that had invaded. She took slow even breaths, her eyes closed.

"Counselor," Worf asked, turning back to her as he reached the door, and watching her for a moment. "Are you…"

Deanna's eyes popped open and her eyes were clear and concise. She nodded quickly. "I'm fine," she spoke firmly.

Worf stepped back towards her and lowered his voice slightly. "Counselor," he repeated.

Deanna shook her head. "Please Worf. Not now. I just need to concentrate."

Worf nodded. "I apologize," Worf said simply.

Deanna reached out and put her hand on Worf's arm. "No, thank you. I just need to concentrate right now."

Worf turned to head back to the conference room when the doors opened and Wendy Roper stepped out into the hall. Worf looked from Deanna to Wendy and back to Deanna. It was clear that Wendy had something to say, but Worf hesitated to leave Deanna alone with her, while she was clearly struggling to keep mental clarity.

Deanna nodded slightly to Worf, as if to tell him it would be okay.

Worf took his signal and disappeared into the room and Wendy and Deanna stood in the corridor alone.

"I didn't say what I wanted to say," Wendy began.

"This isn't the best time," Deanna told her.

"In a few days, this will all be done, in one way or another, and I will be gone, so…I guess I've never been known for my timing."

Deanna stood with her arms folded defensively, mostly out of habit with Wendy.

"I was wrong," Wendy said simply. "What I said the other night. I said you didn't mean anything to him." Wendy paused. "I was wrong."

Deanna only shook her head. "What makes you think you know anything about it?" she asked her.

"He was so angry, when he came and told me to stay away from you that night. Not for me telling you about the bet, but because I hurt you. I haven't ever seen him like that. He was so incredibly angry." Wendy looked around the hall for a moment. "He never would have been that upset about my feelings being hurt. He wouldn't have told you to leave me alone if you had hurt my feelings. It wasn't just that he was irritated. He was angry. I never thought he was really one to get angry that easily. But he does…at least about you. So, I was wrong. You win. He loves you."

"Loved me," Deanna corrected.

"No. Loves. I'm sorry I got in the way, now and then. You're right. We're not fifteen anymore. I am grown up enough to be able to say when I'm wrong." Wendy sighed as if she were relieved to get it off her chest and turned and walked back into the conference room.

Deanna only wished she could turn off her emotions as easily. She closed her eyes again, this time fighting back the swell of tears that wanted to come, taking deep breaths, focusing her mind. This would have to wait. She would tuck it away. At least for this moment, whatever Wendy had done or undone was not, could not be, the most important thing on her mind. Will was in that room. She could sense him easily, as she always could. But those emotions got pushed away as well. He could not be her focus; this could not be her focus. _Do your job,_ she told herself. _It has waited seven years. It can wait one more day._

…

The negotiations had gone down hill quickly. Neither party was willing to make the big move that was needed. The ambassador presented his plan and after six hours, including several breaks to allow all the parties to cool off and allow the ambassador to confer with his aids and Enterprise crew, they were no closer to a resolution than they had been as the day began.

"I see no purpose in this continuing," Grota Rau told them rising from the table. "I will return to my planet. When Parto and the Celic delegation are ready to make meaningful concessions, I will gladly return. I thank you for your efforts Ambassador," Rau told

Mark Roper, standing and bowing slightly before he and his delegation left the room, escorted by their security officers to transporter room four.

"I too will return to my planet," Parto Brose, the Celic leader repeated.

"Will you agree to return tomorrow to continue what we have begun?" the ambassador asked.

"I do not know that I am prepared to make the kinds of concessions that you ask of us, Ambassador. I must speak to my government. I will take my leave of you and contact you when we have an answer for you."

The Celic delegation began to rise to leave the room.

"Parto," Commander Riker rose. "Allow me escort you to the shuttle bay," Will said.

Parto Brose nodded and Will walked with him out the door. The Celic's refused to transport, believing that it would degrade their soul, so they used shuttle power exclusively to transfer from their world to the Enterprise.

Will walked next to the Celic leader with the other members of the delegation following behind.

"I am sorry, Commander. We have come so far, but I do not know how to give what you have asked."

"I understand," Will replied. He had developed a feel for the man in the days that he had worked with him. He felt like he knew what drove him. "The Torannians are asking for equal footing. Your world has always had the upper hand. To work with them on their level, it is too much. I understand. You aren't capable of facing them that way. Sometimes people can't change their ways, even when it is what is best for them. Don't worry Parto. It isn't anything we haven't seen a hundred times."

"Commander," Parto Brose stopped and looked at Will Riker. "Are you saying I could not work with them if we were equals?" he asked shocked.

"Parto, I meant no offence. I am only telling you that I understand your position."

"I believe that we can work as equals. I only do not wish to give them the upper hand," Parto Brose said defensively.

"Change can be hard," Will tried to seem empathetic to his plight.

"Do you think I lack the backbone to face my own government with the decisions I have made? Do you think that I can not face the Torannians and have them respect me without having the 'upper hand' as you call it?"

"Parto," Will said calmly, hiding the smile he felt trying to creep across his face.

"You tell Grota Rau and his delegation that we are ready for the challenges that lay ahead of us. We will return tomorrow and we will be ready to face the future that it holds on even ground. I am not afraid of him." Parto Brose turned and headed into the shuttle bay in a bit of a huff. Will followed cautiously after.

"I will do that, Parto. And I will look forward to you proving me wrong," Will said with a bit of a bow as the delegation loaded into their shuttle and the dock crew cleared them for take off.

Will strode back to the observation lounge where he found the captain and the ambassador in deep conversation. He walked in and sat back in the chair that he had occupied most of the day.

Mark Roper looked over at him and sighed. "What?" he asked when he saw Will's face.

"Let the Torannians know that the Celic's will be back in the morning, ready to move forward on equal footing," Will passed on his message.

The room fell silent as each person looked at Commander Riker.

The smile now was clear on his face.

"How?" Mark asked.

"I just told him I understood he wasn't capable of it. Apparently it made him angry enough to try."

"Well that was quite a gamble," Mark told him.

"Not really. He just needed someone to let him think it was his idea. I knew he'd take me up on it."

"You challenged his authority," Mark told him.

Will only shrugged non-committaly.

"Commander Riker believes Parto Brose's temperament and personality is similar to his

own, and so had a great deal of confidence that he would respond to his challenge," Deanna told the ambassador.

Will looked back at Deanna. "Because I always take a challenge?" Will asked.

Deanna only looked at him, her eyebrows raised in her knowing expression.

Will shook his head. He had had about enough of it from her about how he was only out for the conquest.

"I will set up the meeting time. Could we meet before hand and go over some things? I think it would be best to call it a day for us all," Mark Roper inquired of the captain.

Jean Luc looked around the room. Everyone looked drained from the day and he nodded. "We will meet at 08:00." The captain rose from the table and headed off towards the bridge.

Will wasted no time leaving the room. He was not in the mood to discuss the day's events and he certainly wasn't going to sit there and let Deanna have her say. He headed to ten forward for one last item of business before calling it a day.

"Guinan," he said sliding onto a stool at the bar and pushing a PADD over to her.

"Assuming that we have a peaceful end to these negotiations," he began. "These are the plans for the closing reception."

Guinan glanced quickly at the PADD. "Is there a special menu?" she asked.

"It's all in there."

"I'll take care of it. You look like you have had a rough day," Guinan told him.

"Long day," he corrected. "And tomorrow may be worse."

"Would it help to talk about it?" she asked.

Will only shrugged his shoulders.

"If I were a certain Betazoid officer, would it help to talk to me?"

"It would help if we were talking, yes."

"Well, that seems like a problem that could be fixed rather easily," Guinan commented.

"You would think."

"Yes," Guinan said leaning across the bar in front of him. "I would." She leaned down and picked something up and reached out to hand it to him. "Would you do me a favor and take this to her when you go? She dropped it on her way out days ago and I keep forgetting to give it back to her." She held out a small card. Will immediately recognized his own handwriting.

_You know how I feel about you, right?_

It had been the card he tucked in the roses for her. Then she was just upset about Wendy. Now, she was upset about him. Did she know how he felt about her? Maybe it was that easy to fix. Will tapped the card on the bar as he thought for a moment.

"Thanks, Guinan," he said standing up and heading for the door.

Will walked down the corridor with a determined step. He stopped outside the door of the ships counselor's quarters and rang the chime. He almost jumped when the doors began to open. Somehow that had not been what he had expected. But he heard her call 'come in' and he did so.

He saw her sitting in the dim light, on the edge of her couch. Her large dark eyes were looking at him expectantly and when he met her eyes he almost lost his nerve. With one quick breath he began. "I know that you think it was a game, that you were just a challenge. I know you are angry with me, but you don't get to take five years of friendship and chuck it on the assumption that you know what I was thinking."

Will paused and waited for her reaction. He took a few deep breaths, but Deanna only sat and watched him, so he continued.

"It doesn't even make sense. You think that you were a challenge and that I can't turn down a challenge? So what about now, Deanna? If it was a challenge, and I conquered, then what are we now?"

"So then what was it?" Deanna asked quietly as if she had expected this, expected him, just like this.

"I've thought about it so much over the last couple of weeks. I know I didn't handle it very well. But all those years ago when you walked into the room, it was like fireworks started going off in my head. I didn't know what to think. And then when I tried to talk to you…" Will paused. "Maybe it was the challenge. Maybe you were right."

Deanna quickly stood up from her seat and stepped towards the window, shaking her head. "Well, which is it Will?" she asked, hurt in her voice.

"You told me to go away, and I wasn't used to that. So maybe I did want you more because you were a challenge, because you didn't make it easy. You made me work for it."

"So it was about the bet," Deanna answered her own question.

"No…Yes, maybe at first it was. For about a minute and a half seven years ago, maybe it was about a bet. But somewhere between you showing up at my door at one in the morning screaming at me and before I told nine sharp shooters to open fire at your head, it changed…That wasn't a game, Dea. It wasn't about a bet, but maybe it was about a challenge. You never let up and you never made it easy. Do you honestly think you were some conquest and then I moved on? Yes, you were a challenge. You still are. You intrigue me, still. You don't let me get by. You make me work. You make me think. So if you think you were a challenge, you were right. You still are. You…you keep me on track. You make me stronger. You make me…" Will struggled to find the words.

"When I'm being an ass, you say 'stop being an ass'… who else does that? No one talks to me like that. Maybe the captain, but even he has more tact than that. You tell me what I need to hear and you never let me take the easy way out. You make me better. You make me smarter," he told her. "You challenge me. It's not about a bet, or a game. But it is the challenge. You challenge me in every good way and I don't ever see that changing. So if you want to be mad for a stupid thing I did seven years ago, fine. I understand. But don't stop challenging me. I don't ever want to loose that. I didn't ever mean to hurt you. I never thought that you would be this to me. I didn't see this…anticipate this, then or now…all these years. You are it. You make me my better self. And you may hate me for saying it, but I wouldn't change a thing." Will shrugged helplessly, but Deanna only watched him from her place by the window, her large eyes wide.

"So that's it," he told her and he waited for her to respond, but she only stood silently watching him. "Oh, this is yours," he said offering the card that Guinan had given him. She only continued to look at him, so he leaned down and put it on the table. "Okay," he said stepping back towards the door. "I'll go." Without another word Will turned and walked out the door. He didn't know if he felt better or worse than before he had let it all off his chest. He had no idea what she was thinking. But he knew he wanted to be alone.

Deanna stood stunned in her quarters. Laying it on the line like that was not an easy thing for Will, and she knew that about him. But it was not his words that had stunned her into silence. It was the emotions that were pouring off of him, unrestrained. She was so worn out from the negotiations, she could not filter them. They simply washed over her. Love. It was simple. She looked down at the card he had placed on the table and recognized it immediately.

Did she know now how he felt? With a deep breath she followed where he had walked out of her quarters and began to head to his instead. When she arrived, she looked at the door chime, but instead keyed in her security override and let the doors slide open in front of her. It seemed only fitting.

Will spun around from where he had been walking into his bedroom and faced Deanna in his doorway. He didn't know what to make of her sudden appearance, so he watched her and waited.

"I have one question," she told him.

Will leaned up against the door jam and nodded slightly.

"You told Wendy Roper to stay away from me. Why? Were you afraid of what else I might find out?"

Will sighed and hung his head. "Deanna," Will began. "I am not trying to hide things from you. Go ask her. Ask her anything you want. I was angry that she hurt you. I don't like people hurting you, upsetting you. That includes me," he told her.

Deanna rolled her eyes.

"Think what you want, Deanna. I can't stop you."

"What do you want me to think, Will?" Deanna stepped towards him.

"You are the empath, Deanna. I don't know what else I can tell you."

Deanna took another breath and felt his emotions wash over her again. They were strong, and threatened to overwhelm her. She could feel her mental barriers falling and that tingle in the back of her mind, that bond, that link that existed between them, that she kept buried deep in her mind, reaching out to him.

She didn't think about it, or overanalyze it. She stepped forward and reached up, placing her hands around his neck and pressing her lips to his. The moment their lips met, her last mental burrier fell and his mind was completely open to her and hers to his, though he was not as adept at finding his way as he once had been. The kiss was more tender than passionate, but terribly intimate. She could feel all of his emotions, the tenderness of his love, and the intensity of it.

But the link was there for him as well, and he could sense her fear and trepidation. She wasn't ready. She was afraid of what was happening.

Slowly she pulled away from him, though they continued to look into each other's eyes and study the others souls. But Deanna could not bare to continue like that and she dropped her eyes to the floor and with the break in eye contact, the link died with it, Deanna's mental blocks back in place.

She took a step back from him, and he did not stop her. "I should go," she said quietly.

"Deanna," he spoke in barely more than a whisper. "I am sorry."

"I know. Thank you."

"Are we okay?" he asked simply.

Deanna looked up at him and smiled slightly, the first smile that he had seen from her in weeks. "We will be," she assured him. "Good night Will."

"Good night," he said as she walked out the door. "Imzadi."

…

Deanna walked into the observation lounge to find most of the senior staff taking their seats. She walked around the table and took the empty chair next to the first officer. Will turned to look at her and they each smiled slightly.

The other members of the senior staff looked from the two of them around at each other and to their captain and back. Clearly the two had made up, but how or why was a mystery to the rest of them. One man at the table let a wide smile spread across his face.

Mark Roper looked across the table at the two of them and was pleased with what he saw.

"Are we ready to begin then?" the captain asked looking at his first officer with a pleased expression.

"Yes, Sir," Will agreed, knowing that this was simply Deanna's way of letting everyone else know that the two of them were going to be alright. He looked back to the captain and gave the captain a quick nod. With that, the captain began the meeting and the relationship between the two of them slipped to the back of everyone's minds.

The negotiations were smooth throughout the day and by the end of the day they were making the arrangements for the signing ceremony and reception for the following day.

When the treaties were signed, the crew and ambassador's staff took a deep breath and for one night the delegates and the senior staff and ambassador's staff joined the other leaders of each planets government for a celebration. All of the delegates spoke highly of Ambassador Roper as well as the Enterprise crew. It was a lovely reception, but after twelve days of heated negotiations, it was a relief as each group left the Enterprise to safely return to their own world. The ship would leave the system in the morning, heading to star base 142 to allow the ambassador and his staff to disembark before the Enterprise continued on to its next mission.

As ten forward emptied out, the senior staff mulling around and gathering some items as they went, they found Deanna Troi practically collapse into a chair at a table where Will Riker sat laughing casually with Mark Roper.

"Well, my dear. It is over and we all seem to have lived through it," Mark said to Deanna with a smile.

Deanna was exhausted. It was as if each individual hair hurt on her head. She pulled off each of her small earrings and fiddled with them in one hand as she rubbed her temple with her other. She sighed and chuckled slightly to the ambassador. "Are we still alive?"

Deanna asked him.

The three of them laughed, as did the captain and Dr. Crusher that stood nearby. Mark Roper leaned over and passed something to Deanna across the table.

"I've been meaning to give that to you," he said as she picked it up and saw a transfer slip from the ambassador for 200 credits.

"What is this?" she asked him.

"Well, I thought it was best I give it to you, rather than him."

Deanna furrowed her brow. "Well," she sighed. "Now I just feel like a whore."

Both the ambassador and Will jumped and tried to mitigate the damage. Mark reached out to take the PADD from her. "That was not the intention. Here," he said trying to give it to Will instead.

"Oh, no. I don't want it," Will said pushing back at Mark.

"Well, I don't want it," Mark said pushing back to Deanna. "Why don't you do something philanthropic with it," he offered.

"Ahh," Deanna laughed sarcastically. "Such as?"

Both Mark and Will shrugged. "I'm sure you'll think of something," Will told her.

They exchanged mocking smiles.

"Well, this is it, right? No other bets I should know about?" Deanna asked the two men.

"No," Will said quickly.

"Well," Mark hesitated.

Will and Deanna looked, eyes wide at the ambassador.

"It didn't involve you, I assure you," he told Deanna.

"Then who did it involve?" she asked him.

He looked slightly in Will's direction.

"You have a little gambling problem," Will said to the ambassador.

"Oh, now, now," Mark tried to appease him.

"And this bet was?" Deanna asked.

"Just a small wager between Gart Xarx and myself."

"You made a bet with Chandra's father about Will and I?"

"Not exactly the two of you," Mark tried to explain.

"Not exactly?" Will asked.

"We actually made a bet about whether you would be able to withstand Lwaxana Troi," Mark told Will.

"And out of some sort of sick curiosity," Will said. "Who won that bet?"

Deanna smiled ruefully and Mark shifted in his seat. "Well," he responded after a brief thought. "That is still a matter of debate between Gart and myself, but since we are sitting on a star ship discussing it, the three of us, I would have to go out on a limb and say the only one of us at this table to truly withstand Lwaxana Troi is Deanna."

The others in the room laughed and Deanna bowed her head slightly. "Thank you," she said with grace. "Well, gentlemen. I am going home, before I find out anything else about my life that I didn't actually want to know," Deanna said slowly rising from the table.

"Oh, come on," Will said, reaching out for her.

"No, I've already heard more than I needed to know."

"Hey, there isn't anything that you haven't told me that you might want to air out while we're at it?" Will asked her hoepfully.

"No," Deanna responded.

"Nothing?" Will asked skeptically. "Not even a little something?"

Deanna looked a little less sure. "Mmhh, no."

"Oh, come on Deanna. You might as well. If there is anything I have learned in the last 15 days it's that you might as well. It all comes out in the end anyway." Will picked up on of her earrings that she had left on the table and held it out to her. "Come on," he urged.

Deanna reached out and took the earring from his hand with a smug smile. "I'll take my chances," she told him turning and walking away.

"Really?" Will called after her, surprised that there might be something she was hiding herself after being so angry with him.

Deanna headed for the door. "Good night, Commander," she called back over her shoulder.

"You are just messing with me now," he called as she walked out the door. "Really," he repeated intrigued.

The others in the room were watching with curious smiles and light chuckles.

"I hate to take my daughters side about the two of you," Mark spoke. "But how do you two work together?"

Will sighed, settling back at the table. "Patience. It is a consistent exercise in patience."

"Yes, Deanna is a patient person," Mark Roper told him. "You, on the other hand…"

"You think I am impatient?"

"I didn't say that. In fact, you are clearly more patient than the young lieutenant that I knew. Besides, you can call it patience if you want to. I won't fight you on it."

Will stared back at Mark Roper. "What does that mean?" Will asked.

Mark Roper stood and patted Will on the shoulder. "Oh, nothing, Commander. Just do me a favor and don't be too patient. I learned when I lost my wife that life is not infinite, and too much patience may be something you regret." Mark Roper began to walk toward the door.

"Goodnight everyone, thank you again," he said and then focused on Will Riker now alone at the table, clearly deep in thought. "And, Will," he said drawing the first officers attention back to him. "Tell Deanna I said good night." He raised his eyebrows knowingly as he walked out of the room. "And that I'll see her in the morning before I leave. It has been quite the adventure," he said as he turned and left the room leaving Will's mind racing.

He would talk to Deanna. Maybe not tonight, or tomorrow, but she knew…they knew and that was enough for now.

The End


End file.
